3 research outputs found
On the growth and form of spherulites
Many structural materials (metal alloys, polymers, minerals, etc.) are formed
by quenching liquids into crystalline solids. This highly non-equilibrium
process often leads to polycrystalline growth patterns that are broadly termed
"spherulites" because of their large-scale average spherical shape. Despite the
prevalence and practical importance of spherulite formation, only rather
qualitative concepts of this phenomenon exist. The present work explains the
growth and form of these fundamental condensed matter structures on the basis
of a unified field theoretic approach. Our phase field model is the first to
incorporate the essential ingredients for this type crystal growth:
anisotropies in both the surface energy and interface mobilities that are
responsible for needle-like growth, trapping of local orientational order due
to either static heterogeneities (impurities) or dynamic heterogeneities in
highly supercooled liquids, and a preferred relative grain orientation induced
by a misorientation-dependent grain boundary energy. Our calculations indicate
that the diversity of spherulite growth forms arises from a competition between
the ordering effect of discrete local crystallographic symmetries and the
randomization of the local crystallographic orientation that accompanies
crystal grain nucleation at the growth front (growth front nucleation or GFN).
The large-scale isotropy of spherulitic growth arises from the predominance of
GFN.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
Structures Related to the Emplacement of Shallow-Level Intrusions
A systematic view of the vast nomenclature used to describe the structures of shallow-level intrusions is presented here. Structures are organised in four main groups, according to logical breaks in the timing of magma emplacement, independent of the scales of features: (1) Intrusion-related structures, formed as the magma is making space and then develops into its intrusion shape; (2) Magmatic flow-related structures, developed as magma moves with suspended crystals that are free to rotate; (3) Solid-state, flow-related structures that formed in portions of the intrusions affected by continuing flow of nearby magma, therefore considered to have a syn-magmatic, non-tectonic origin; (4) Thermal and fragmental structures, related to creation of space and impact on host materials. This scheme appears as a rational organisation, helpful in describing and interpreting the large variety of structures observed in shallow-level intrusions